The Shifting Landscape of Telehealth Addiction Treatment
As the United States government searches for leverage in the battle against the opioid epidemic, several recent developments have altered the way medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as buprenorphine, can be prescribed. While some of these changes have increased accessibility to buprenorphine, others threaten to hinder access. With ...
Acknowledging Health Equity Pioneers
In observance of Black History Month, Spectrum Health Systems is honoring some of the people who have improved access to care and worked to address treatment disparities affecting the Black community. Just as the Black community has faced economic and educational injustices, it has also faced healthcare inequalities. In the ...
Nicole Orlando Smith Discusses Her Return to Spectrum
Nicole Orlando Smith applied for a role at Spectrum Health Systems on a whim in 2014. She had comprehensive experience working in mental health—addressing issues like depression and anxiety after earning a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with a focus on trauma—but she had no direct experience in addiction ...
The White House Hopes to Curb Overdoses by Unveiling New Dashboard
Last month, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unveiled a new data dashboard in partnership with the National Highway Safety Administration to track non-fatal opioid overdoses. The dashboard uses a map to display Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data collected in each state and U.S. territory. The effort ...
Advancing substance use disorder treatment in correctional facilities
Corrections1 Date: 12/23/22 By Earl Warren The basis for substance use programs in Mass. DOC facilities is a combination of the Therapeutic Community model and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Spectrum Health Systems’ Correctional Division was launched within the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) in October 1993. Since that time, much has ...
Democratization of Recovery Requires Full Continuum of Treatment Programming
Addiction Professional Date: 12/7/22 Author Kurt Isaacson Critical in our fight against the addiction epidemic is the effort to ensure treatment is accessible to those who need it. Individuals seeking resources often face unnecessary roadblocks and long wait times, issues that can deter them entirely. Addiction is a complicated disease, ...
A Letter from Our President: Kurt Isaacson Reflects on 2022
2022 was an interesting year in healthcare. With much of the world finding its footing in the ‘new normal,’ providers were hard at work continuing to keep clients and patients safe while deciding which pandemic-era policies and practices were here to stay, and which could be discontinued. This was no ...
Get to Know Lisa Blanchard, Chief Clinical Officer
With a background in both the clinical and administrative sides of behavioral health care, Lisa Blanchard knows that making treatment accessible is key to affecting positive change amid the addiction epidemic. It’s a philosophy that she embodies in her role as Chief Clinical Officer at Spectrum Health Systems, where she ...
Jeannie Saunders Reflects on Leaving—and Coming Back—to Spectrum
Coming from a billing background in the healthcare industry, Jeannie Saunders first joined Spectrum Health Systems in 2016. She had been unsatisfied with her previous position and a friend that worked at Spectrum had encouraged her to apply. Jeannie followed the recommendation, and the next thing she knew, she was ...
Therapy dogs help clients at New England Recovery Center stay positive
Spectrum News 1 Date: 11/14/22 WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - For people battling addiction, the road to recovery can be challenging. At New England Recovery Center in Westborough, a recently-added program is helping clients stay positive with a little help from man's best friend. What You Need To Know Tufts Paws for People ...
